Comprehensive Sex Education
Comprehensive sex education is violence prevention.
Comprehensive sex education enables students to learn about consent and determine their boundaries in a safe environment. Effectively taught sex education empowers students with the knowledge, confidence, and communication skills needed to develop healthy relationships, as well as seek support when a relationship is harmful. When we help young people explore information about their bodies, identities, and relationships, they are able to make safer choices, practice empathy, and take accountability for their mistakes, ultimately preventing future violence.
Research supports this view. Schools that implement comprehensive sex education see a reduction in child sexual abuse and intimate partner violence perpetration. Students who participate in comprehensive sex ed report reduced acceptance of coercion. They also report more equitable relationships, increased intentions to discuss sexuality and relationships with their families and with doctors, improved communication skills and the ability to handle strong emotions like anger, and improvements in their sense of self-efficacy and self-esteem.
Comprehensive Sex Education is essential for all young people, but particularly those with marginalized identities. Young people who are members of communities impacted by racism, sexism, heterosexism, transphobia, and ableism experience a higher prevalence of sexual health risks due to a lack of access to education and resources. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, birth rates are higher among BIPOC adolescents than among teens overall. According to the CDC, LGBTQ youth at increased risk for certain negative health outcomes, including disproportionate rates of STIs, pregnancy, and suicidality. Youth with disabilities, particularly intellectual disabilities, often experience disproportionate rates of these outcomes as well, in addition to higher rates of sexual abuse and exploitation. The evidence is clear: oppressed populations are in even greater need of quality comprehensive sex education. Providing sex education that acknowledges different identities and experiences reduces health risks for all students. Comprehensive sex ed has been linked to delayed sexual initiation, reduced drug and alcohol use during sex, increased condom and contraceptive use, and decreased rates of unplanned pregnancy and STIs.
Our Approach
We provide direct facilitation of comprehensive sex education in schools. Our trained and experienced staff can work with your school to select from multiple curricula and adapt instruction and timing you your school’s needs. A fee for service will be decided based on teaching hours and resources of the school community.
Our approach to sex education is always:
Medically accurate
Developmentally appropriate
Affirming and inclusive to all identities
Trauma-informed
Culturally responsive
Aligned to the National Sex Education Standards, the gold standard for teaching comprehensive sex education developed by doctors and nurses, teachers, school administrators, and social justice advocates.
Local teachers and administrators can contact Hallie Cohen at hcohen@ywca-ens.org for more information on our sex education program
Interested in institutionalizing comprehensive sex ed at your school and need guidance, rather than direct facilitation? See our consultation page.
“When I started this class, I was dreading it, I thought it was going to be so awkward. It was awkward at times, but I learned that talking about it gets a little easier and it actually was pretty fun and interesting!”
“This class provided a comprehensive exploration of sexuality and relationships, and it prepared me to have more emotionally mature relationships in the future.”